Hello Metaverse!
So what is it? This Metaverse, is it an alter universe? A new planet? Do we have to buy a ticket to go there? Is it our ultimate fantasy world? Is it a threat to human nature? Tell me, Mark, what is it!
We heard, we read and we watched a whole bunch of amazing news about this new digital era we will be immersed in. Wait, aren’t we already in it?
Sure we are!
When you go to a mall in reality and interact with a salesperson, try the product and then buy it, you are doing it in real, I mean in person. But when you are going to a digital or virtual mall, online, on an e-commerce website, you are picking from this virtual store what you want, some brands let you try it and refund if you don’t like it. You interact with a person digitally or a robot in the FAQ, and then you make the purchase. So, are we already in a Metaverse? well yes, kind of.
Moreover, when you watch a sports video, of an international coach that is giving a specific let’s say core class on his YouTube channel, you are training digitally! So yes Video on Demand made it so much easier to go to your own gym while staying at home!
Adding to it, aren’t you visiting cities and blocks, already digitally through videos about present eras, recent eras, and even ancient eras? Didn’t we all check the city photos and videos and even hotels and Air BNB before visiting and even if we won’t visit! We even have relatives in different countries, we can visit the street and building where they live through Google Maps, and its 360 views, we feel like we are standing there!
So, if it is about shopping, or dancing, or doing an Abs class or visiting cities, we already are doing it virtually! So Mark, tell me more!
Well, Mark Zuckerberg said that our Avatars will be walking in those streets, meeting those friends, looking at the views, and even while in a business meeting at home, our avatar can customize their home and clothes as they want!
Mm, Mark, we already have avatars, some of us are using them as Facebook profile pics, and we’ve been doing online meetings and online classes for more than 2 years, and we get to pick a different background for our stay! Aren’t we already in a Metaverse guys!?
Aren’t we already in an Alt-world, where we pick avatars or filtered photos and videos of ourselves and our kids get to go to their classes virtually and learn about the planets and Volcano eruptions by watching YouTube videos?!
Yes, we are, we are so immersed in the virtual world that is attainable through the Internet on all digital platforms and Social Media, that we sometimes, forget, that the real world, real family connections, real friend’s connections, and real love interactions are more important than what the digital world is offering!
Our kids, are already playing games on their computers or tablets with their friends, live, interacting with them, even if they are 5 friends living in 5 different cities or countries!
It’s amazing, yes it is, but wait a minute, aren’t we so immersed in that virtual world that we are forgetting to gaze at the sunset, look at the stars, enjoy a hug, or a barbecue, play, and run in nature and hide and seek?
Is it healthy for a girl, in her most critical phase, adolescence, to look in the mirror and say I am ugly, while she’s gorgeous, but she is so stuck into her filtered digital face, or her avatar, that she starts hating reality!?
Is it healthy that an 8-year-old boy, wouldn’t want to play or go out for a walk, just because in real life there are bugs but in the digital world he is safer!!!
Are we building colder and more complicated human beings who don’t know how to interact in real life?
I think that the meta-universe is already here, we are experiencing it in our daily life.
With its easier educational path, easier accessibility to international shops, and its video calls and work online meetings that are valuable day-to-day life experiences. But at the same time, I am concerned about the negative potential this Alt world is presenting to society.
I am speaking from the point of view of a nearly 40 years old woman, who experienced both worlds, who lived in the era of no internet and this internet era. I understand the benefits of this alt-world but in the meantime, I know the values of real life, because I’ve been there.
I am just concerned about the millennial and my kids, who are so immersed in this internet virtual world that they are to some extent, hating reality. Because let’s face it, in reality, there is no magical button that will prepare food or bring the grocery or tidy the house or resolve a social issue, there are many challenges in real life, that need time and effort, and it’s becoming a challenge to show to those millennial that real life, that is slow is still enjoyable, sunsets are beautiful and the first rainy day in a year is a blessing.
So yes, hello Metaverse, thank you Facebook, but please don’t make it so amazing, that all humankind hates their reality and only enjoys the virtual world. We don’t need depressed nations. We are at the edge of everything, ecosystems being destroyed, economies being destroyed, animal species being annulled, nature in danger…Humankind…well you fill in the blanks!
Written by Jennifer Aouad
Industrial engineer | Certified Digital Marketing Professional
Founder | Creator of Ata3allam App www.ata3allam.com
Business development at Arabian Beat Studios www.arabianbeat.com